“The Book With No Pictures” by B.J. Novak

The Book With No Pictures is an inherently silly book, even though (and perhaps because) it doesn’t contain any pictures. B.J. Novak tells the story through two distinct voices. The first is the text itself, which features onomatopoeia and absurd phrases such as “… and my head is made of blueberry pizza”. The text is bright, bold, and highly visual.

The entire point of the story is to make the grown-ups reading the book aloud to their children say ridiculous things. Interspersed throughout the book runs a commentary in a different font in which the grown-up reading the book groans and protests about being forced to say things that are utterly hilarious. It lends the book an air of mischief, as if the child is tricking the adult into performing against his will.

If you are a good sport and have young children, I’d definitely recommend it. It’s the kind of book that’s fun and helps remind even grown-ups not to take themselves too seriously.